Happy Birthday, Chewbacca!

That’s right, ladies and gents, today is Chewbacca‘s birthday. OK, not quite, but almost: it’s Peter Mayhew‘s birthday and he’s the man who played Chewie in the Star Wars films. Either way, it’s pretty much Chewbacca’s birthday and if that isn’t reason enough to post Chewie-related items, then nothing is.

Standing at a ridiculously tall 7’3″, Mayhew was offered the roll of everyone’s favorite Wookie (because we know so many others?) by George Lucas after Lucas’ original choice, 6’6″ tall bodybuilder David Proust was cast to play Darth Vader instead. Lucas told Mayhew that his only requirement to play Chewie was to show up and stand up — pretty much the easiest acting job in the world, although I don’t want to imagine what it must be like in that Wookie get-up.